A massive 84.9% said they would buy electronic cigarettes on the black market if the device was banned.

According to one respondent:

The slim chance of being caught, slim chance of being punished and the modest nature of that punishment is not comparable to the alternative (a highly likely relapse into years of cigarette smoking). Various regulators seem to view e-cigs as innately dangerous and await proof they are safe. To me, they look safe in theory and I await evidence they are significantly unsafe. If regulators can give a reason for banning them aside from being almost hysterically risk-averse, I might comply.

Another agreed, stating:

I am an otherwise law abiding citizen but, knowing that I feel so much better by using an e-cig, the black market would be a risk I would be willing to take.

Once again, suspicion proved rife amongst those who answered. One respondent said:

If they are banned, it would not be because they are bad for you, it would be because big tobacco paid a lot of money to lobbyists to get them banned.

They may not be quite right – big pharm also sees its control of the (non-tobacco) nicotine market threatened.

And according to stop the Electronic Cigarette Ban Lung Cancer America, which receives huge funds from pharmaceutical companies

The Australian Government is encouraging smokers to quit, yet this Government will not get the TGA to approv Electronic Cigarettes.a study by the Roswell Park Center found that the levels of chemicals and toxicants in the vapor produced by 12 different E-Cigarettes and noted that the trace levels of chemicals present were comparable to what is found in a TGA approved nicotine inhaler. The study found that the physiological act of lifting the cigarette to your mouth and taking a puff has been vastly underestimated – perhaps deliberately, as most cessation studies are funded by pharmaceutical companies who sell nicotine cessation aids.The Pharmaceutical Companies are behind the misinformation, protecting their profits. The Government is more interested in their TAX Dollars than your health.

Thom
Our new Coalition government is not in favor of mindless regulation.
However e-cigs have caught most authorities a bit off guard and some of the stuff coming out of the EU and USA authorities is pure moral panic; ‘e-gigs are worse than smoking’ Bullshit.
On the other-hand most of the comments I have read from our academic health sector are much more balanced and not panicky in tone.

As it is importation for personal use is legal (and it would be a nightmare to police a ban). Some Queensland academics are doing research into actual users views.
I expect that in time we will sort things out in a way that reflects Australia’s long record of being quite advanced in these sort of things (as well as a well earned reputation for not taking bullshit